Representing an intriguing collision of various stripes of burgeoning Hollywood talent, Twisters is the 26-years-later follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster that nobody was really thinking about in terms of a sequel. But a sequel we have: it’s directed by Lee Isaac Chung, a double Oscar nominee for 2020’s Minari, and showcases rising stars Glen Powell (Hit Man), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) and Hamilton breakout Anthony Ramos. Part of the great joy of the original was the raft of appealing character actors playing supporting storm chasers (Alan Ruck, Philip Seymour Hoffman, TÁR director Todd Field, et al.), and in this regard the likes of Brandon Perea (Nope), Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) and Sasha Lane (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) appear to be stepping up in the new one. There is predictably much Powell-thirst in the early reviews, where you can also find Adam describing the film as “immersively breathtaking”. Vividswift argues that it “absolutely deliver[s]”, and reckons that “Chung’s first attempt at commercial filmmaking is a remarkable triumph”. Calvin says it’s “as much a swooning romantic piece as it is a disaster flick. And it’s brilliant in both regards.” “Glen Powell is taking the world by storm this year,” Corey dryly observes. Now in theaters.

After premiering to wide acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, Crossing, the new work from Georgian-Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin (And Then We Danced), hits US theaters. It follows the attempts of a Georgian woman and her neighbor to find the latter’s long-lost niece, a transgender woman, who is in Turkey. While searching for her in Istanbul, the pair are then assisted by a transgender lawyer. “Stories and people converge and diverge on the chaotic, cat-filled streets of Istanbul,” says Troy, who goes on to describe the “warm and wonderful” film as “a story of queer abandonment and queer hope”. Diego appreciates how Akin “exalts the healing power of human relationships that are born from improbability”. Luca calls it the “kind of movie where you meet roughly twenty to 25 different characters over the course of 100 minutes and wouldn’t mind spending another 30 with each and every [one] of them”. Sara celebrates that it “aims to put forth a message of acceptance and understanding for the trans community in Istanbul”. Now in select US theaters.

Does the massive box office success of Longlegs mean that every upcoming freaky-ass-looking indie horror suddenly has elevated prospects and expectations? Let’s say… yes! Damian McCarthy’s Oddity certainly looks like a whole lot of fun, and ensures my interest by including a freaky-ass-looking wooden mannequin. The Irish film premiered at SXSW in March, where it received the Audience Award in the Midnighter section, and was identified by Journal contributor Katie Rife as one of the festival’s highlights. Horror filmmaker (and Letterboxd member) Joe Lynch calls it “a contained horror that’s weird in all the right places”. “Irish folk-horror meets home invasion, sprinkled with an unsettling murder mystery and supernatural suspense,” hails Becky. André enjoys how “the script constantly inserts new insights and assumptions that distort the picture”. “A simple concept but presented in a masterful and unique way, knows exactly when to build up tension and when to release it,” says Andy. In select US theaters now.

Offering new textures to fans of vertiginous cinematic content, Skywalkers: A Love Story is perhaps best encapsulated by David: “Like Free Solo but with a lot more romance, skyscrapers and illegal activity.” Following a couple of young “rooftoppers”, (i.e. people who ascend tall buildings for fun and document it), the documentary has been screening in theaters (including IMAX) before heading to Netflix, who acquired it shortly after the doc’s premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Andrew says it “plays like a romantic thriller with GoPros”, and is “easily a candidate for non-fiction film of the year”. “Being afraid of heights, this was pretty difficult to watch,” warns Jake, who nevertheless rated it four stars. “Wondrously entertaining documentary that tells a compelling love story and at the same time takes your breath away with awe-inspiring visuals from the highest points imaginable,” hails Brian. Brandon reckons it’s “like a real life Mission: Impossible mission.” Now on Netflix.

Appealingly evocative of the kind of melodramatic potboilers Hollywood used to make heaps more of, the 1960s-set Mothers’ Instinct stars Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway as friends and neighbors whose relationship turns sour after a tragic incident. It has already premiered on Prime Video in many territories, but the star power involved here sees this getting a theatrical run in the US. The LB hive, bless ’em, are mostly demanding this be more gay, but the film has its fans. “If Don’t Worry Darling and Saltburn had a baby (in a good way),” says Sophia. “A psychological kitchen-sink melodrama with Jessica Chastain channeling Kim Novak and Anne Hathaway doing her best Audrey Hepburn impression? Yes yes yes and YES!!” hails Bert. Christian appears to be being negative when he says it “feels like a Hitchcock-directed Lifetime movie”, but that just makes me want to watch it more. In US theaters July 26.

As the once mighty Marvel movie machine’s fortunes dwindled (in relative terms) over the last few years, every upcoming project became “that one that could turn things back around”. Only none of them were. That sense of hope has never been more palpable than in the anticipation that surrounds Deadpool & Wolverine, which not only brings the first major character from the Fox X-Men series (Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or some multiverse version of it), but also counts as Disney’s first R-rated Marvel movie. Swear words are here to save the MCU! And the box office! To man the megaphone, Reynolds recruited his Free Guy and The Adam Project director Shawn Levy, who also made one of Jackman’s better efforts, Real Steel. And the Night at the Museum movies. In theaters the world over July 26.

Sean Wang’s debut feature Dìdi (弟弟) has been cleaning up at festivals ever since it premiered at Sundance in January, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and won both the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award: Ensemble in the US Dramatic section. The autobiographical coming-of-age tale stars Izaac Wang (who made quite an impression on debut in Good Boys) as a thirteen-year-old Taiwanese American kid in 2008 Northern California. Jing found it “funny, heartfelt and soul-stirring” and is “just grateful that representation with such nuance and evident love for the story exists and is becoming more frequent”. Joe calls it a “painfully accurate (but also enormously compelling) depiction of what it was like to grow up in that bizarre intermediate of gen Z and gen X”. “Felt like it reached directly into my adolescence and unearthed my most awkward and cringe moments,” confesses Brother Bro. “Sweet and true and scrappy and basically every good thing a coming-of-ager can be,” says our London editor Ella Kemp. In select US theaters July 26.